NASA Minute: Feb. 13, 2026

Whether working in orbit or preparing for missions to the Moon and beyond, NASA continues to advance scientific discovery and exploration on every front, every day. Here’s the latest from this week in your NASA Minute.

What is said in the film

Whether working in orbit or preparing for missions to the Moon and beyond, NASA continues to advance scientific discovery and exploration on every front, every day. Here’s the latest from this week in your NASA Minute. Early this morning, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, sending NASA’s Crew-12 mission into orbit. Now traveling more than 17,000 miles per hour, the four astronauts are on their way to the International Space Station, where they’ll begin an eight-month science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory. Serving as commander for Crew-12 is NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, a marine biologist who previously spent more than 200 days aboard the space station.

Joining her as pilot is NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, a former U. S. Navy test pilot preparing for his first journey to space. They’re joined by Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos, both serving as mission specialists. Over the next day, their Dragon spacecraft will rendezvous and dock with the station, where they’ll join the Expedition-74 crew.

Once aboard, Crew-12 will conduct a wide range of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. Their work includes research on human health in space, advanced medical capabilities for future missions, and innovative approaches to growing food beyond Earth. These studies support long-duration exploration to the Moon and Mars while also delivering insights that benefit people here on Earth. We’ll continue following Crew-12 as they make their way to the station and begin their work in orbit. Teams at the Kennedy Space Center are continuing to make steady progress toward the Artemis II mission, taking action to address issues that emerged during the fueling tests earlier this month.

After identifying higher-than-expected hydrogen concentrations during fueling, technicians replaced two seals in the affected area of the Space Launch System rocket, and engineers are analyzing the hardware and refining procedures using the data gathered during the test. This is exactly what these tests are designed to do — uncover issues, fix them, and strengthen the vehicle before flight. At the same time, the Artemis II crew remains deep in training, sharpening their knowledge of Orion’s systems and mission objectives, making sure that every step is second nature. With that work underway, March remains the earliest possible launch window for Artemis II— and each day brings us closer to sending astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. This week, NASA launched two sounding rockets into the Arctic sky from the Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks, Alaska to study the northern lights up close.

One mission, called GNEISS is mapping the electrical currents flowing through auroras using a technique similar to a CT scan. The second mission, the Black and Diffuse Aurora Science Surveyor, is investigating mysterious “black auroras” — unusual dark patches within the lights where scientists believe those currents may briefly reverse direction. By flying directly through these regions, sounding rockets allow researchers to place instruments exactly where the action is, helping scientists better understand how energy from the Sun interacts with Earth’s atmosphere. Across every mission and milestone, NASA teams are at the cutting-edge of America’s Golden Age of Exploration. Thanks for watching the NASA Minute — and we’ll see you next week!

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